In January, Shedeur Sanders was seen as a player who could beat out Cam Ward as the top pick in the NFL Draft. By late March, Sanders was viewed as someone who might slip out of the top five.
On April 26, Sanders faced the cold, hard reality: He was a Day 3 pick. Even his worst nightmare didn’t match what actually happened. But even in this dark moment, Sanders has one reason to look at it in a positive light.
Chase Daniel Sees the Silver Lining in Shedeur Sanders’ Dark Situation
Speaking on the April 28 edition of “The Facility,” NFL analyst and former Super Bowl champion Chase Daniel called the turn of events a “blessing in disguise,” challenging Sanders to see it that way.
.@ChaseDaniel reacts to Shedeur Sanders falling to the 5th round of the NFL Draft:
“It should be a blessing in disguise. The whole world just watched you slide and it had nothing to do with your on the field play.” pic.twitter.com/lqtIWBcF0p
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) April 28, 2025
“What it comes down to is it should be a blessing in disguise. It absolutely should be. The whole world just watched you slide. The whole world was talking about you for 72 hours, and it had nothing to do with your on-the-field play, because on the field play for me, Shedeur Sanders is at least a second-round talent, like he should have been drafted to the second or third round,” Daniel said.
“Now, some other stuff got him drafted a little bit later,” he added. “Now it’s time for the hard work. … This better be a blessing in disguise, because, like you said, when you’re a fifth-round pick, you’re just fighting for your spot on the roster.”
Now, Sanders must flip the switch from celebration mode — where he seemed to be living since declining to throw at the 2025 NFL Combine — to grind mode. He’s shown the talent. Now it’s on him to deliver. He has a new source of motivation to get there.
Cleveland Browns’ QB Chaos: Can Sanders Rise From the Crowd?
Before the 2025 NFL Draft, Joe Flacco looked like the Cleveland Browns’ starter. But with the arrivals of Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, Flacco now has to win over the coaching staff to hang onto the job for Week 1.
As it stands, even with Deshaun Watson clearly on his way out, the quarterback room is loaded.
Sanders, Flacco, Gabriel, Pickett, and Watson round out one of the most crowded rooms in recent memory. Sanders must beat out at least two players just to earn a spot as the third-string quarterback. If he wants any real shot at playing time, he’ll have to do even more.
The Browns need a franchise quarterback to emerge if they’re going to move up from their 32nd-place ranking by PFSN Offense+ metrics. Will Sanders be the one?